Digital eye screening to be available in the community

NHS England has announced plans for advanced eye scans for people with diabetes to be carried out in the community. It hopes that this will reduce the number of hospital ophthalmology appointments by up to 120,000 per year.

More than 1 in 3 people living with diabetes will develop diabetic retinopathy, and it is a leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults. People are usually unaware of the condition during its early stages, so regular screening is essential to detect those at risk before visual symptoms occur. Early treatment can prevent blindness in 90% of those at risk.

As part of a programme to improve outcomes, the rollout of optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans will mean that around 60,000 people who are at higher risk of diabetic retinopathy will be able to receive advanced screening outside of the traditional hospital setting and closer to their homes. Locations will include some larger GP practices, community hospitals and mobile vans, and it will free up hospital care.

OCT creates a detailed 3D image of the optic nerve and retina. It provides more accurate results than standard cameras by detecting changes, such as a thickening of the retina, that do not show up in colour photography. Fewer than a third of services have previously been able to offer OCT, and not equitably across the country. NHS staff are being trained in OCT screening and all eye-care service are expected to be using the technology by October 2025.